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Recorded November 27th, 2016 (11/27/16). Welcome aboard Amtrak Thanksgiving Holiday Extra Northeast Regional train 1099, originating out of New York Penn Station & bound for Washington DC with leased commuter equipment (NJT GE Arrow III EMU). Along the way, we make the following station stops:

Due to the equipment, we are limited to 80 MPH the entire way down, but despite that, the ride was still pretty decent. We start off in the first car (1361), but end up moving to the second car (1362), so that I can position myself over a motor truck as opposed to a trailer truck. Additionally, the horn on 1361 was crap, so I didn't have a compelling reason to stay in the first car. I apologize for the sun sliding into and out of the shot, as I did not anticipate the winding nature of the Corridor to be an issue with the lighting this time of year. At the very least, the audio is well captured, and the conductor is quite cheerful. Along the way, we play leapfrog with Northeast Regional train 145 @ Hamilton, Trenton, and 30th Street, a pair of guys coming from Philly bound for NYC get on at Trenton after getting off SEPTA only to find out they've gotten on the wrong train and are headed back to Philly, and we see lots and lots of railfans @ various stations. Thanks for watching and enjoy the ride =)

Image thumbnail credits to Rob Sartain​. Many thanks to him for allowing me to use his photo.

The 3:45 schedule was the traditonal PRR timing for most of their NY-Wash trains, as 80 was their max timetable speed. However. G's never had any of that Big Brother stuff such as "penalty apps" and whatever, so what they ran was what they needed to hold schedule.

Daaamn... and a good shot at some of the interior as well. I had heard from a person taking the Arrow III holiday extra going up that it was not a nice ride at all. I would have to agree, having done MARC and Amtrak. I would of taken the MARC II's anyday over the Arrow III's.

Every year we carry hundreds of thousands of customers home for the Thanksgiving holiday. To ensure we are ready to move America where it needs to go this Thanksgiving, we are operating every available passenger rail car in our fleet and scheduling extra trains and adding capacity on routes across the Amtrak system. Even with added capacity, tickets sell out early, so we encourage you to plan ahead and book your tickets as soon as possible for the best availability and pricing.
The busiest travel days are the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after the holiday. This year, avoid the rush and arrive 45 minutes before your train is scheduled to depart. Other than Thanksgiving Day, morning trains typically have more availability than those in the afternoon and evening.
We’re also giving our trains a refresh just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. Several trains, including the Northeast Regional, will have new seat cushions, carpeting, curtains, and refreshed restrooms.

WASHINGTON – In anticipation of the busiest travel week of the year, Amtrak is prepared to accommodate the surge of holiday travelers with additional trains and added capacity – operating every available passenger railcar. Tickets sell out quickly, so customers are encouraged to plan ahead and book tickets early.
In response to customer demand, Amtrak Acela Express (Boston – Washington, D.C.) and Northeast Regional (Boston – Washington, D.C./Virginia) services will operate extended schedules with additional frequencies and added capacity during the week of Thanksgiving. Regular Amtrak booking procedures apply.
Just in time for Thanksgiving, some customers may get to travel in newly-refreshed train cars as Amtrak is investing in a nearly $17 million refresh of its train interiors. Several services, including the Northeast Regional, are undergoing a series of phased improvements including new seat cushions, carpeting, curtains and refreshed restrooms to provide a more modern, comfortable experience onboard.
Last year, Amtrak carried 760,755 customers throughout its national network during the Thanksgiving travel period. Similar customer counts are anticipated this year.

The holiday extras look to be all on Sunday, probably four train sets: 1057 turns to 1058, 1099 turns to 1082, 1054 turns to 1063, 1056 turns to 1065.

It's only on a Sunday, so MARC can spare the equipment since it runs a Sunday schedule only on the Penn Line (aka the NEC). It can even lend some power (the HHP-8's) -- from the schedule taking four hours to go between WAS and NYP, I bet those hippos are on 1054/1063 and 1056/1065.

Last year, I believe that Amtrak used one of its Sprinters for power on one of the sets utilizing the MARC cars.

I could never see myself liking riding in an Arrow III for four hours between NYC and DC. In fact, plenty of people who use them from NJ to the city or Hoboken complain about them anyway. When the Arrow IIIs retire, people will be very happy.

I would much rather ride in a MARC coach between NYC and DC than a NJT Arrow III. Train # 1057 and 1099 will most likely utilize Arrow III sets as they have for many years. The 1063 will probably be a MARC set as it has for many years.

Not only do you have the displeasure of riding an Arrow...ew... but they gouge the crap out of you for the privilege. Other half and I were entertaining the idea of going to WAS if he gets the week after Thanksgiving off (still don't know, but somewhat irrelevant) - we checked a few weeks ago and it was still like $200 to go down there from NYP on Sunday...and it was an extra. I forget what train numbers he was looking at...knowing him it *was* the Arrow train...ha.

If we go, we're going off peak on Monday, when prices are back down to a reasonable level.

"I am no longer just a girl on the train, going back and forth without point or purpose."

I'm sort of taking part in the rush this year, albeit way out in the sticks. I'm off to MSP on the Builder today and then after the holiday Tucson to NOLA. Obviously there's a flight on AMR in between, as MSP-TUS would be one heck of a long ride.